Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington to release it’s annual human rights reports, June 25, 2015. (Photo courtesy: zimbio.com)

(TibetanReview.net, Jun27, 2015) – Releasing its 2014 annual country human rights reports on Jun 25, the US State Department has accused China of continuing egregious violations designed to destroy Tibet’s unique culture and identity. It said, “Under the professed objectives of controlling border areas, maintaining social stability, and combating separatism, the government engaged in the severe repression of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage by, among other means, strictly curtailing the civil rights of China’s Tibetan population, including the freedoms of speech, religion, association, assembly, and movement.”

The report also said, “The government routinely vilified the Dalai Lama and blamed the “Dalai [Lama] Clique” and “other outside forces” for instigating instability.”

In particular, the report highlighted the lack of access to Tibet stating, inter alia: “The government strictly controlled information about, and access to, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and many Tibetan areas outside the TAR, making it difficult to determine accurately the scope of human rights abuses. The Chinese government severely restricted travel by foreign journalists to Tibetan areas. Additionally, the Chinese government harassed or detained Tibetans who spoke to foreign reporters, attempted to provide information to persons abroad, or communicated information regarding protests or other expressions of discontent through cell phones, e-mail, or the internet. The Chinese government also denied multiple requests by foreign diplomats for permission to visit the TAR. Because of these restrictions, many of the incidents and cases mentioned in this report could not be verified independently.”

The annual reports have maintained a separate Tibet section since 2002 as mandated by the Congress.

China released a tit-for-tat annual US human rights record on Jun 26, slamming Washington for a “terrible human rights record” and denouncing it for police brutality and global surveillance. The report, sourced mainly from US media, said the US was “haunted by spreading guns, frequent occurrence of violent crimes, the excessive use of force by police”.

China releases its document each year the day after the US State Department issues its annual global human rights report. However, unlike the US, China does not release rights reports on other countries.

China’s official Xinhua news agency did say Jun 26 that “The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2014,” released by the Information Office of the State Council, China’s cabinet, was in response to “the 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” issued by the US State Department on June 25.